When You Least Expect It
by iloveromance
Summary: A simple act of kindness shown to her boss's brother turns into what Daphne hopes will be a lifetime of happiness and love. (Episode "I.Q")
1. Chapter 1

She typed rapidly on her laptop keyboard, happy that she had a new way of communicating with Donny. He'd been so busy lately with work and all that they rarely got to see one another. And so chatting online, although not the same, was the next best thing.

When the doorbell rang, she turned to see Frasier standing with his father in the foyer. They were going to some hoity toity auction where there were sure to be plenty of snobbish people. But she had to admit that both men certainly looked handsome. Donny rarely if ever wore a tuxedo. In fact, she wasn't even sure that she'd ever seen him in one and she wasn't entirely certain if he'd ever agreed to wear one at their wedding. She certainly remembered discussing it.

As Frasier opened the door, her heart skipped a beat as it always did, no matter how wrong it was. And it was very wrong, feeling this sentiment for someone… someone other than Donny. That sentiment was bestowed on the person who stood in the doorway. Frasier's younger brother Niles. But she was in love with Donny and he loved her. They loved each other deeply and she'd never felt this way about anyone before. However, when Niles smiled and waved shyly, she did the same. The gesture made her feel as though they were two shy high school students, waving at each other from across a crowded cafeteria.

His smile told her that he was happy in his new home at The Montana; the exclusive (and, she had to admit, very beautiful) building where he'd had his first party to introduce himself to his neighbors. And she was glad that he was happy. Very glad, in fact. He'd been through far too much for a man of his intelligence, if such a thing could be said.

But more than that, he seemed to have all but forgotten the fact that she'd killed his sweet little bird. She didn't kill Baby outright of course. She'd never do anything so cruel. However, she still felt a horrible sense of guilt. After all, it was her fault for losing one of her earrings and she never dreamed that the lost earring would end up in Baby's stomach, thus killing the animal instantly.

Quickly she excused herself as she blinked back tears and hurried into the kitchen. She hated the feelings of guilt that simply wouldn't go away. Niles had long since forgiven her, so why couldn't she forgive herself? Oh how she wanted so badly to do so. But it wasn't easy.

She dried her eyes with the kitchen towel that hung from the handle of the oven, but when she returned to the living room, she found that she was alone. For not only were all three men gone, but Donny was gone as well, apparently having signed off in either frustration for lack of conversation or boredom.

Both feelings of loneliness hurt, but the fact that Niles was no longer there hurt a little more.


	2. Chapter 2

_(One week later)_

It was late afternoon when door opened and Frasier and Niles entered the foyer. Daphne smiled, realizing that she'd missed them. Perhaps her loneliness was more intense than she'd allowed herself to believe. She made a mental note to talk to Donny, perhaps plead with him to give his cases to someone else, if only for a little while so that they could spend more time together. After all they were getting married soon. Was it so terrible to ask him to lighten his workload a little? She shoved the thought out of her mind at least for the time being and put on a smile.

"Did you have a good time?"

Frasier grimaced, giving her the answer almost before he spoke. "We paid eight THOUSAND dollars for a lunch, so you would think that we would have had the time of our lives!"

Daphne's eyebrows rose, and she was all too aware of Martin's grumbling, something along the lines of his sons being complete idiots. But maybe she was just hearing things.

"Didn't you? Have a good time, that is?" She dared to ask.

"No we _did not_ , Daphne. Not at ALL, thanks to NILES, here!" Frasier shouted. He glared at his brother, who appeared to be completely drunk, in a strange sort of way. But for the ridiculous price that they paid for their lunch, there was bound to have been plenty of wine.

"W-where are we?" Niles stammered. "A-are we home yet?"

"Yes, Niles, we're home… MY home!" Frasier yelled. "Damn it, Niles! I told you not to take so much cold medication! Didn't you read the directions on the box?"

"Are we home yet?" Niles repeated.

Suddenly Daphne gasped at the sight of Niles as he walked (or rather stumbled ) through the living room and she rose from her chair, reaching out to catch him mere seconds before he fell, quite literally, into her arms.

"Dr. Crane!"

He looked up, smiling (in a loopy sort of way) when he saw her. "Daph-ne! What brings you here?"

"She lives here, you big buffoon!" Frasier snapped. "This is her home and that's where you should be! _Your_ home!"

Daphne was appalled. "Dr. Crane, leave your brother alone! You can't expect him to go home in this condition!"

"It's his own fault! He's a doctor! He should know how to read the directions on a simple carton of medication!"

"Oh sod off!" Daphne shouted. Choosing to ignore Frasier, she gently put her arm around Niles' waist and began to lead him down the hallway.

"Where are you going?" Frasier demanded.

She turned and glared at him from the hallway entry. "Not that it's any of your business, but we're going to your father's room!"

"But… Dad's not even here!" Frasier protested.

Exasperated, Daphne turned and slowly walked Niles down the hallway, while his brother continued to shout. And when they came to Martin's room, she led Niles inside, coaxing him to sit on the bed. Given the dreamy look on his face, he really had taken too much medication. Or perhaps it due to another reason.

And that's when her cheeks flushed. Why did having such thoughts that were so wrong feel so right?


	3. Chapter 3

As he sat on the bed, she began to loosen his tie. "Oh Dr. Crane, what happened?"

"I-I…"

"Here, let me help you with your jacket."

In an almost childlike fashion he held out his arms, allowing her to slip the jacket off of him. She laid his jacket carefully across a chair in his father's room. He wouldn't want anything to happen to it and it was such a beautiful weave of Italian silk that she knew it must have cost more than she could ever afford to spend on anything.

Her fingers trembled as she helped him out of his suspenders, letting them fall to his side. And when his tie was loose, she slid it from around his collar. But in doing so her fingers brushed against his cheek, making her shiver. She ran her tongue across her dry lips and then began to unbutton the top button of his shirt. She didn't want him to get too warm. Ironically in doing so, her body temperature began to rise (or so it seemed).

The condo was sorely lacking in air conditioning and at this time of year it wasn't really necessary to have it but the room seemed suddenly stifling. It was hard not to look at Niles, the way his shirt showed the tiniest bit of flesh as a result of the unfastened buttons and once again she found herself having thoughts that she shouldn't be having.

Her heart fluttered and she tried to remember that it was Donny that she loved. Why was that so hard to do?

He was staring at her now… not Donny of course, but Niles… still wearing that dreamy look. "Daph-neee…"

She smiled and stroked his cheek. "Yes, I'm Daphne and you're Dr. Crane. And I need you to climb into bed and rest, all right? Can you do that for me?"

He nodded. "I think so."

"Good. Now let me take your shoes off and just climb under the covers."

"Thank you, Daph-nee."

His shoes slipped off easily and she lifted the comforter to allow him to crawl underneath. And then she turned out the light and kissed his cheek. It was simply a gesture to show him that she cared about him. But she wasn't prepared for the way it made her heart flutter rapidly.

"You're welcome, Dr. Crane. Just get some rest, all right?"

"K…"

He was asleep within seconds, snoring silently and she took one last glace at him as she turned off the light and closed the door. "Sleep well, Dr. Crane."


	4. Chapter 4

_(Several Hours Later)  
_

She was busy cleaning the counter in the kitchen when she felt someone enter through the doorway. She turned, her heart warming at the sight of him.

"Dr. Crane…"

He looked tired, exhausted even, but despite his disheveled appearance, he was so very handsome.

"Hello, Daphne."

"Did you sleep well?"

He ran his hand through his hair and closed his eyes shaking his head. "Yeah, I'm feeling better, but I'm a little dry."

She nodded in understanding. Cold medicine could certainly have that affect. "I'll get you some water."

"Thank you, Daphne."

She opened the refrigerator door and grabbed a bottle of Frasier's expensive bottled spring water, easily noted by the distinctive royal blue bottle. Why he couldn't buy the store brand bottled water that was so much cheaper the way normal people did was beyond her. But Frasier Crane was anything but normal. And truth be told, in this case, she was happy to give Niles the more expensive water. He deserved it. The thought was a silly one, but it made her smile just the same.

"Here you are."

"Thank you, Daphne." He said again.

"You're very welcome, Dr. Crane. I'm glad you're feeling better. Sleep must have done you a world of good."

As he took the bottle of water from her, their fingers brushed against each other, making her shiver once more. She hoped that her reaction wasn't obvious, for she had no idea how she would possibly explain-

To her amazement, he opened the bottle of water and drank it down, barely stopping to take a breath. It was a sight that alarmed her, for she'd never seen anyone drink anything so fast before; let alone water that was said to be the purest in the world. Even that, she gathered, was meant to be consumed slowly.

"Dr. Crane, are you sure you should drink that so-."

He sat the empty water bottle down on the counter and exhaled deeply. "Actually I'm feeling much better now."

Now it was Daphne who was feeling a bit dizzy and she found herself reaching into the refrigerator for her own bottle of water. Once again, Niles reached for it but before she could explain that she'd gotten it for herself, he twisted the cap and opened it, handing her the bottle. His kindness brought the strangest feeling imaginable and her heart skipped yet another beat.

"Th-thank you, Dr. Crane."

"It was my pleasure."

"I-I'm glad." She stammered. "Th-that you're feeling better. That nap seems to have done you a world of good."

In the awkward silence that followed, she averted her eyes. She shouldn't be feeling this way; not when she was supposed to be in love with someone else, even if that man was rarely around, too busy with work to spend time with her. No, she shouldn't be feeling this way about her friend… her best friend. It wasn't right.

But her heart continued to protest. And she was afraid that her heart would win.


	5. Chapter 5

She stared at his lips wondering what it would be like to kiss him; to really kiss him. Not a kiss at a ball to impress his ex-wife's high society friends, but a real kiss, one like she'd seen in her romantic movies or read in her romance novels. A kiss that-

"Daphne?"

She froze, her heart pounding in her chest. Oh God… could he tell that she'd been thinking about him? He moved closer and she ran her tongue over her lips, which were dry yet again. And this time even the bottled water didn't help. But as she took a quick drink of water and then opened her mouth to speak, no words came.

Suddenly his hand was on her forearm making her shiver. "Daphne, are you sure you're all right? You look a little-."

"What?"

"Well, like you've seen a ghost."

"No, I'm fine, I-You were going to say something?"

His eyes met hers in surprise. "I-I was?"

"It certainly seemed that way."

He paused, at a loss and then smiled. "Oh, well…. Daphne, I…"

"Yes?"

God, why did his eyes have to be so blue and so beautiful?

"I just wanted to thank you."

His statement surprised her. "Thank me? Whatever for?"

She was surprised even further when he wrapped his arms around her for an unexpected hug. "Dr. Crane…"

"Thank you Daphne, for taking such good care of me earlier. Your friendship and kindness mean the world to me and I hope you know that."

Tears filled her eyes but she made no effort to brush them way. Instead as she blinked, they splashed onto his shirt. She held him close and kissed his cheek.

"I do. Thank you, Dr. Crane. I feel the same way about you." But she couldn't let go of him, not yet. Letting go meant returning to reality; the reality where she loved Donny Douglas. And she did love Donny, she really and truly did.

Finally she released her hold on Niles and stepped back, smiling at him. But his face held a look of concern.

"Daphne, you're crying. What's wrong?"

"Nothing. I'm just… really happy."

This made him smile. "Because of Donny."

"No, actually. It's something else."

"Something you want to talk about?"

"I will… I promise. But first I need to do something important."

"Oh, well don't let me stand in your way."

"It will only take a moment."

"All right. Um, I'm actually feeling a bit tired still. Do you mind-."

"No, go right ahead. I'll get you some more water and some of me Grammy Moon's remedy."

"Thank you Daphne, but I don't have a stomach ailment."

"Actually this is for colds. It's much better than anything you'll find at the drugstore."

"That sounds wonderful. Thank you."

When he turned and headed into the living room, she went to work mixing up a batch of her Grammy Moon's remedy and stuck it in the refrigerator. It worked best when it was a cooler temperature. And then she headed into the living room. Her laptop was still where she'd left it, open and waiting at the chat room page. There were dozens of messages from Donny, each one a bit more demanding than the first, ranging from the sentimental " _Daphne, sweetheart where are you?"_ to the harsher _"Damn it, Daphne, why are you ignoring me? You know I have work to do!"_

The latter made her shudder and she quickly tapped a reply onto the keyboard. _"Calm down Donny. I had something I had to do for Dr. Crane. He wasn't feeling well."  
_

Never mind that it was Niles she was taking care of and not Frasier. What Donny didn't know certainly wouldn't hurt him. However, he was taking much too long to respond, which annoyed her to no end.

 _"Since you asked Donny, Dr. Crane is feeling much better. But on that note, we need to discuss something important."  
_

"All right, what is it?"

She stared at the cursor as it blinked, beckoning her to respond. But what could she possibly say? " _Donny I can't marry you because I'm in love with your former client and my boss' brother?"  
_

 _"Aw come on, Daphne! I don't have all day, all right? I have an important client coming any moment!"_

She sighed, wondering when their relationship was going to be more important than his bloody clients. And she took it as a sign.


	6. Chapter 6

Her fingers trembled, but she was determined to say what she needed to say. And she was suddenly glad that Donny had chosen to converse with her online rather than in person. It made what she wanted to say that much easier. A face to face meeting was inevitable but for now at least she could break the news gently. There would be plenty of time for explanation later.

 _"Donny, we need to talk. This is important!"_ She typed. _"Look I'm sorry if I'm interrupting some important meeting, but I need to say this!"_

 _"Honey, what is it?"_

Her chest felt tight as she searched her heart for the right words. "This is hard for me to say, but in the past few months, me feelings toward you have changed. I still care about you and want the best for you, but… I don't think I can marry you."

The pause that followed was much too long and suddenly she regretted her honesty. Tears stung her eyes, waiting for a reply. But when one finally came, it was not the response she wanted to read.

 _"What in the hell is that supposed to mean?"_

She blinked back even more tears and took a deep breath. _"It means that I can't marry you. I don't think it's fair to you or to me. I can't explain now, but when you're ready to put your work aside and agree to meet somewhere, for dinner or whatever, we can discuss it! But right now, I'm feeling a bit tired. So let's just leave it at that. Goodbye, Donny."_

Without waiting for him to respond, she hit the button, listening to the computer voice tell her that she'd signed off. She'd deal with the consequences later. But at the moment she had something more important to do.

As she went into the kitchen and opened the refrigerator door, she expected to feel guilty about the message that she'd left Donny. But strangely she felt no guilt at all, only relief. She grabbed the thermos of her Grammy Moon's cold remedy and another bottle of water and carried them to Mr. Crane's room.

She knocked softly on the door and when there was no answer, she opened it slowly, creeping inside. But she'd barely gotten into the room when she paused at the door. Niles was in bed, sleeping soundly, just as before. It was hard to resist going to him. She sat down on the bed and he woke at once, lifting his head to look at her.

"Daphne…"

She smiled and ran her fingers through his hair. "Hello, Dr. Crane."

"What are you doing here?"

"Bringing you me Grammy Moon's remedy."

He sat up eagerly and smiled. "Oh right. Thank you, Daphne."

"You're welcome. Drink this and you'll feel better soon."

He took the thermos eagerly and drank it down. "It tastes much better than the stomach remedy that's for sure."

She laughed. "I'm glad to hear that. And me Grammy Moon would too. Now here's some water to wash it down with."

"Thank you." He took the water from her and drank it down at a slower pace than before.

"Feeling better?"

"Much better, thank you, Daphne."

"I'm glad."

"Daphne, you don't have to stay in here with me. I'll be fine. I'm sure you have things to do, like chatting with Donny."

She smiled, suddenly not at all worried about what might transpire once she and Donny had their meeting.

"Actually I don't have anything to do right now. Do you mind if I stay and keep you company for a while?"

His cheeks flushed. "Um… no, of course not. That would be… wonderful."

She stared at him for a moment and then smiled. "On second thought, there is one thing I need to do."

"By all means, go right ahead…"

The touch of her lips on his caught him off guard and for a moment she thought that he might faint.

"Daphne…. Y-you kissed me."

"I did, didn't I?"

"B-but…"

"May I do it again? Kiss you, I mean?"

"Um… Y-yes. I'd like that very much. I-."

She closed her eyes and moved onto the bed beside him, kissing him a bit longer this time.

"Daphne, I-."

"You know, I'm a bit tired, aren't you? It's been an awfully long day. Do you mind if I take a nap? We can talk later, perhaps over dinner?"

"Dinner? I… Oh…."

His shyness made her smile and she snuggled closer to him, content to rest her head on his shoulder. She was asleep within seconds, the feeling of his warm arms encircling her.

"Goodnight, Daphne."

"Goodnight… Niles…"

 _ **THE END**_


End file.
